Monday, July 28, 2014

Roxbury Register - July 28, 2014

Contested school board race slated in Roxbury district.

There will be a contested school board race in the K-12 Roxbury school district this fall, but not in the K-8 Mount Arlington district.

Petitions to run for the Board of Education race in November were due in the Morris County clerk’s office at 4 p.m. Monday.

Both districts opted several years ago to move their April elections to November. This year, the general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4.

In Roxbury, three, three-year seats are up for re-election.

All three incumbents are seeking another three year term each.

They include Ronald Lucas of Perin Place, James Monaghan, Jr., of Hillary Terrace and David Ramage of Lazarus Drive.

Seeking a return to the board are two previous members: Pat Miller of Bass Drive and Chris Rogers of Ford Road. First-time candidate Terasa Fedorchak is also seeking one of the three seats on the board.

In Mount Arlington, three, three-year terms are also up for re-election.

Long-time board member Gene Paradiso opted not to seek another three year term.

Instead, Karl Svenningsen of Henmar Drive is seeking one of the three seats, as are incumbents Rachel Byrne of Bertrand Road and John Longtine of Hover Drive.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

ROXBURY AND MOUNT ARLINGTON –The State Local Finance Board is expected to give final approval on Wednesday, July 16 of an application calling for the creation of a municipal consolidation commission for Roxbury and Mount Arlington. If the board approves the application, representatives of both communities will be appointed to serve on the commission, which will undertake a comprehensive study into the pros and cons of consolidation.

Chris Rogers, a Roxbury resident who is among the petitioners, said the group went before the Local Finance Board on June 11 to show support. There was no opposition during the public hearing portion of the meeting, prompting Rogers to believe the state board will grant approval at the July meeting.

“We are optimistic and hopeful that our application is approved,” Rogers said. “We are eager to form the consolation commission and move to the next step in the state-mandated process.”

Citizens representing Roxbury and Mount Arlington submitted nearly 400 signed petitions last year to clerks in both municipalities calling for the municipal consolidation study commission. It would comprise five residents of each town. The process, which follows the Local Option Municipal Consolidation Law, is similar to what is now taking place in Scotch Plains and Fanwood, which formed their consolidation commission in early 2013 in partnership with local elected officials.

The effort to gather petition signatures began October 2012, with residents from both towns meeting to discuss the petition process.

Roxbury and Mount Arlington are not the first to pursue this initiative. Princeton Borough and Princeton Township conducted the study in 2011, and consolidated on January 1, 2013. The merged town has more than $3 million in tax savings and has received positive feedback from residents.